Tuesday, 24 January 2017

The Uber Revolution is here, but what does it mean for HR?

Chances are,
you’re no stranger to the now-ubiquitous rideshare phenomenon that is
completely – if you’ll pardon the pun – driven by consumer demand. But if you
haven’t yet considered its ramifications on the way you run your company, then
now’s the time.

You know how it works. Using a simple app, you tap your smartphone
and your driver arrives in minimum possible time. It’s convenient, it’s where
and when you want it, and it’s in the hands of the people: they rate and
appraise their chauffeurs, and with 50,000
new drivers each month, in the transport world’s answer to
Darwinism, only the best survive.

It’s so simple, so effective, that the name has become synonymous
with the business model. ‘Uberization’ has snuck into the corporate lexicon,
and while it may mean different things to different people, the understanding
that it embodies the breaking down of existing jobs and services into separate
tasks that can be requested on-demand is a pretty good place to start.

So what does this mean for you?

In their recent study, PwC explore the changing face of workplaces
across the globe. As we’ve discovered, among these
realisations was the fact that almost half of HR Managers surveyed believed
that by 2020, at least one fifth of the people on their books would be temporary
workers.

Much to the chagrin of traditional
Taxi companies, Uber’s competitive pricing and ‘on-demand’
structure have been a real boon to consumers. And as those 50,000 new signups a
month demonstrate, the scenery is just as good on the other side of the fence.
Unconstrained by regular shifts at predetermined times, an Uber Driver is in
control of when and where he or she works, enjoying a sense of convenience and freedom
that seems infinitely more compatible with the demands of other facets of life.

And this is no anomaly. In a similar way, this emerging workforce
of contractors, temporary workers and consultants will enjoy their upper hand.
They’re the Uber Drivers of their own destiny.

Which means that if you want to embrace this change, you’re going
to see a higher rotation of faces at Your HQ. But they’ll be the kind you want
to have around – trust us.

If right now, you’re imagining the worst temporary worker you’ve
ever employed – the one that didn’t care about your business (and perhaps
didn't have the motivation to), the one that didn’t contribute to your lively,
collaborative office culture, or maybe even the one that didn’t show up at all
– please, don’t. Although you’re not alone: when we spoke to clients for an
earlier piece, we discovered that temping horror stories – from either side of
the fence – were alarmingly common.

In the Uber world, that Darwinian equation comes into play
heavily. With an ability to rate each driver, consumers carry the fate of each
driver in their collective hands. Fortunately for you, an emergence of uber-esque
HR platforms (like ours, Temp Market) provides you
with the opportunity to rate – and crucially – select based on ratings. When
only the best will do, only the brightest survive.

A traditional Taxi company driver will have accreditation. He or
she will have passed through training and a standardised screening process. An Uber
driver will have no formal qualification, but will have instead survived the
scrutiny of a large, and increasingly discriminating consumer base.